"The best kept secret in the Church is that people are dying to make a contribution with their lives. We are made for ministry! When everyone uses their unique, God-given SHAPE to make a difference for Jesus’ sake in your community, you’ll make a tangible, visible difference in your community. The church that understands this, and continually calls people to a vision where every member can express his or her uniqueness in ministry, will experience amazing vitality, health and growth. The sleeping giant will be awakened and it will be unstoppable." ~Rick Warren
Restate Your Churches Vision Every 30 Days, by Rick Warren, pastors.com
The church that "continually calls people to a vision where every member
can express HIS OR HER iniqueness in ministry" will do what?
"Experience amazing vitality, health and growth." (according to Rick Warren.)
These "words of wisdom" about what makes for a vital and healthy church is misleading. The church's vision is not you and your uniqueness. The churches vision is to be, Jesus .
Have you, church, ever sang the song, "Be thou my vision?"
Have you, Christian, ever read in the scripture about "looking" (vision) "unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith?"
People of God, did you ever read the book of John? Do you not remember the prayer of Jesus Christ, Son of God most high, who prayed to God the Father that we all would be one? (John 17) Do you not know, God, our Father, answers Jesus' prayer? Do not be mislead into believing you are God's gift to the world. You are not; and Jesus Christ, truly is. If your uniqueness is your vision, you might want to have your "I"s examined.
Rick is not teaching the church to be the church; he is attempting to awaken something that is dead. This is something that he calls "a sleeping giant." This "giant" will (supposedly) awaken, bringing health and vitality to us all.
But God does not sleep nor slumber, (Psalm 121) and Jesus is risen from the dead. In fact the book of Ephesians First Chapter, (read towards the end) tells us that God, Our Father, raised him, Jesus, from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and abovebevery name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. It tells us also that God has put all things under His, JEsus', feet, and gave Him to be the head over all things to the Church, which is His body,and that he has RAISED us up together, and made us to sit in heavenly places in (the Anointed) Jesus. MEanwhile Rick says the church is sleeping.... good for nothing without Rick's help, and that it's arms and legs are amputated.
The church that "continually calls people to a vision where every member
can express HIS OR HER iniqueness in ministry" will do what?
"Experience amazing vitality, health and growth." (according to Rick Warren.)
These "words of wisdom" about what makes for a vital and healthy church is misleading. The church's vision is not you and your uniqueness. The churches vision is to be, Jesus .
Have you, church, ever sang the song, "Be thou my vision?"
Have you, Christian, ever read in the scripture about "looking" (vision) "unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith?"
People of God, did you ever read the book of John? Do you not remember the prayer of Jesus Christ, Son of God most high, who prayed to God the Father that we all would be one? (John 17) Do you not know, God, our Father, answers Jesus' prayer? Do not be mislead into believing you are God's gift to the world. You are not; and Jesus Christ, truly is. If your uniqueness is your vision, you might want to have your "I"s examined.
Rick is not teaching the church to be the church; he is attempting to awaken something that is dead. This is something that he calls "a sleeping giant." This "giant" will (supposedly) awaken, bringing health and vitality to us all.
But God does not sleep nor slumber, (Psalm 121) and Jesus is risen from the dead. In fact the book of Ephesians First Chapter, (read towards the end) tells us that God, Our Father, raised him, Jesus, from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and abovebevery name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. It tells us also that God has put all things under His, JEsus', feet, and gave Him to be the head over all things to the Church, which is His body,and that he has RAISED us up together, and made us to sit in heavenly places in (the Anointed) Jesus. MEanwhile Rick says the church is sleeping.... good for nothing without Rick's help, and that it's arms and legs are amputated.
(See "Frankenstein Jesus" on this blog)
Rick is wrong. The Lord is not slack as some count slackness, and he is not without arms and legs and hands and feet. God's holy spirit, is alive and well and doing exactly as God commanded. Rick has some friends, who agree with him though. They too write books and articles promoting this same nonsense, reapeating the "wisdom" of Rick while leaving their bible and doctrine behind. .
Kenny Luck, of Saddleback Church fame, wrote a book called Sleeping Giant. that advertises "to revolutionize men’s ministry, free men spiritually and ignite spiritual health worldwide." Let it be known, this is a Saddleback program whose target is YOUR CHURCH and it's stated purpose is to revolutionize, (in other words:alter, modify, overturn, bring down, overthrow, or inspire) .your already established MINISTRY and then create an army... that will change things at every level of society... and make the church "a center of masculine transformation and greatness, again."
Jesus is the one who frees men (and women too by the way,) spiritually, but Jesus is not offered as the solution, instead this book and program are. The claim that being part of this movement, learning from this book and materials for your church will help men "find the untapped potential in your lives and illuminate the purpose of your lives." Thjey make no mention of Jesus. The sleeping giant is you.... and your untapped potential.... your purpose. This is a very different gospel message than the one already embraced by the church. This is a very different spirit and it's in our midst.
The teaching is to "kick some enemy butt." (see: Sleeping Giant pt 2, DVD)
........."watch this video to see how God is raising up men to form
ranks around leaders in their church to kick some enemy butt."
Is this spirit of the Holy Spirit? (No.)
The men's pastor of Rick Warren's Saddleback Church, Kenny Luck, is teaching to men is that "the world is waiting for us to rise." (pg 5, Sleeping Giant Core Team Workbook) Too bad he is leading people in churches away from the Bible and into reading and studying his own book. Instead of encouraging people who follow Jesus and serve God, to follow Jesus and serve God, he will draw them after a different gospel and train them to be Pharisaical leaders, men who have discovered their greatness, and "kick some butt" as they serve the world.
Repeating the words of Rick Warren that the "hope of the world is the church" adding that "the hope of the church is God's men." (see pg 20 in the Core Team Meeting Video Session 1 Questions and Answers) Someone needs to tell Kenny that Jesus, not his bride, (the church,) is the "hope of the world." "God's Men, as not the hope of the world either. Circumventing the true hope of the world, the one whom God sent, Jesus Christ, (see John 3:16) Kenny Luck (and his friends who repeat Rick instead of scripture) gets things wrong. Instead of preaching the good news and making disciples, they are busy being leaders and building :leadership engines that support their own vision, and it's all about their own great uniqueness. Rick endorsed the book saying,
“In Sleeping Giant, my men’s pastor Kenny Luck gives you a local church blue print for moving men from the audience to the army in your congregation. Let him help you build a leader making engine that supports the vision of your church.”
Rick Warren, senior pastor, Saddleback Church; author, The Purpose Driven Life
Read this enlightening article by Paul Proctor, asking, "Are You A Church Worshipper?
Tim Peters at pastors.com says, "The church is the hope of the world."James Emery White learned this "vision:" concept, from Bill Hybels,
and shares many views like this with Rick Warren.
"I have given them thy word; and the world hath
hated them, because they are not of the world,
even as I am not of the world."
~Jesus, John 17:14
